Heroes are all around us

I have always loved hero stories. Whether they were tales of Heracles and his impossible tasks or Buffy trying to save the world (again), I have always loved the idea of everyday people standing up for what they believe and making things better.

As I’ve grown up I’ve studied the definition of hero academically but still come back to my personal definition that a hero is someone who acts in support of their beliefs in such a way that the world is better for those actions.This includes my brother-in-law’s best friend who was a Marine as well as my friend Kirstyn who falls for the dogs who need extra TLC and works tirelessly to help animals in her community.

Photo Credit: Thinkstock

It’s easy today to worry, to focus on the negative aspects of humanity that we see in the news and our memories of atrocities committed. It would be easy and normal to do that, but I choose to focus on the bright side. Sometimes that means reading and sharing inspiring news, like ABC’s story of two men who ran to a fire and saved a cat while they were dressed as superheroes to talk to a group of children. Other times it means rereading our Happy Tails and being inspired by all the amazing adopters. Sometimes I’ll look at how many people took the time to share an adoptable pet on Facebook. Because you all are heroes by adopting, volunteering, sharing and telling your friends about adoption. You all are heroes because you’re acting to save lives. Thank you for helping me focus on the bright side and all the heroes around us. I hope that you see them, too.